Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks: Cavaliers vs. Pacers 5/9/25
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers
May 9, 2025 7:30 pm EDT
The NBA presents Draftkings basketball fans with an Eastern Conference playoff matchup featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers. Let’s take a look at this game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers game let’s review the rules for the Draftkings single game showdown contest.
Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules
You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.
The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.
If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.
*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one game slate.
Here are my Draftkings picks for tonight’s Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers matchup.
Draftkings NBA Showdown Picks
Captain-Donovan Mitchell, Guard, Cleveland Cavaliers $10,800
Veteran guard Donovan Mitchell has been a solid performer for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. With that said, how has Mitchell performed from a statistical standpoint? Let’s review Mitchell’s relevant game data from the 2024 NBA season to answer that question.
In the 75 games that Donovan Mitchell played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2024 NBA season (including playoff games), Mitchell has averaged 24.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals a game.
Looking at the data just presented more closely, in the 75 games that Donovan Mitchell has played this season, Mitchell has compiled a 44.3% field goal percentage, a 36.8% three-point percentage, and an 82.8% free throw percentage.
These two teams have met multiple times this season. How did Mitchell perform in the most recent matchup with the Pacers? Who prevailed? In the Indiana Pacers 120-119 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers three days ago, Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell played rather well. The talented guard tallied 48 points, five rebounds, nine assists, four steals and one block in the Pacers defeat of the Cavaliers.
As I noted in the rules section above, selecting the correct player at the captain position for a Draftkings NBA showdown lineup is absolutely vital if you hope to win a large field GPP (guaranteed prize pool) DFS contest. Remember to keep that in mind as you construct your lineups.
In my view, Donovan Mitchell is the player most likely to accumulate the highest number of DraftKings points in this NBA playoff game. For that specific reason, I am rolling with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell at the captain position for this one game DraftKings NBA Showdown contest slate.
Flex Plays
Myles Turner, Center, Indiana Pacers $7,400
Veteran center Myles Turner has been a key contributor for the Indiana Pacers this season. Let’s review Turner’s game data from this season to better shed light on my previous statement.
In 79 games that center Myles Turner has played for the Indiana Pacers in the 2024 NBA season, Turner is averaging 15.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.8 blocks a game.
In conclusion, I fully expect Myles Turner to continue his outstanding play in this evening’s Eastern Conference playoff game.
Additional flex plays I like to play well in this playoff NBA game (Draftkings price noted): Tyrese Haliburton, Point Guard (Indiana Pacers) $11,000: Jarrett Allen, Center (Cleveland Cavaliers) $7,800: Pascal Siakam, Power Forward (Indiana Pacers) $8,000.
